Los Angeles Lakers are streaking the wrong way, 4 Lessons from Denver Nuggets loss!

Lake Show Life breaks the game down between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets with Lake Show Life Lessons!

The Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t do anything wrong until this week. Now it seems that everything is starting to go wrong. Injuries, slippage in defense and no LeBron James adds up to a three-game losing streak for the Lakers.

When the Los Angeles Lakers was feasting on lesser teams to start the season, most “experts” panned the success of the team.

Lake Show Life saw it as insurance. For what you ask? Times like these when injuries start to become a potentially serious problem. AD playing through nagging injuries was enough.

Now LeBron James is out with a thoracic muscle strain officially and a rumored groin issue according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

"James first sustained the injury, a pull in the rib cage area, against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday and played through it during Thursday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. James didn’t require an MRI, but this is a significant issue and not just a load management situation, sources told ESPN. Earlier this week, James said he didn’t plan to miss any games this season for rest. James has also been dealing with a nagging groin issue recently, sources said. Last season a groin strain on Christmas Day derailed James and the Lakers’ season."

More on LeBron’s injury and the effects later. The fact that he didn’t play against the Denver Nuggets is a discussion that will be floating around the shopping malls while Laker Nation is finishing up their last-minute shopping. The Lakers have flaws and it’s up to the coaching staff to figure something out.

With no LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers (and possibly the Clippers if he sits out on Christmas!) found out how serious the lack of playmaking with James out of the lineup in a 128-104 beatdown to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night. After a period when it seemed the Lakers could not lose, they have now suffered three losses in a row to drop to 24-6 on the year.

But here’s the funny thing, though. The Clippers have a slide of their own going on, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder a couple of hours earlier. Who would’ve thought that the two L.A. teams would play on Christmas struggling for a win? Welcome to the NBA in 2019-20.

Frank Vogel made a mistake putting Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley in the starting lineup at the same time. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had been playing well in the starting lineup and should have stayed there. The combination of Rondo and Bradley was a disaster and the offense suffered.

The Lakers looked disjointed without LeBron to the tune of 19 turnovers compared to the Nuggets eight. With or without LeBron, the Lakers will not win many games with a negative assist to turnover ratio. The Nuggets dominated in the assist category over L.A. 31-18. The constant turnovers allowed the Nuggets to win the fast break points battle 21-9.

The offensive stagnation that almost burned the Lakers in Orlando definitely was a problem on Sunday. After obtaining a 67-65 lead, the Nuggets ran away with the game with a 40-15 run. The game was never in doubt again.

A Christmas Eve version of Lake Show Life Lessons starts now.

For one night, Anthony Davis got a glimpse of the good old days in New Orleans. 

For all NBA 2K and box score watchers that believe that LeBron James is not just as important to the Lakers’ success as Anthony Davis, Lake Show Life has a message.

Start watching games for the full 48 minutes, you are not paying attention.

Just like in pretty much every game this year, Davis put up monster numbers, scoring 32 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The difference in this game was that he had to work very hard while the offense ran through him.

Instead of LeBron setting the table getting everyone shots, AD struggled as Denver ran different schemes that included a zone at him. Big men like Davis are used to command double teams to break down the defense. The Nuggets did not double much. In tune, AD finished with 5 turnovers.

Paul Millsap didn’t have the gaudy numbers of AD, but that didn’t stop him from sparking his team to 36 points in the 3rd quarter and 73 for the second half. Most of his plays were while AD was guarding him.

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1208969415301009408

The Lakers were effective in the first two and half quarters due to Anthony Davis leading the effort on the glass. L.A. outscored Denver 19-5 in second-chance points over the first two quarters. AD finished the first half with 19 points and 8 rebounds.

Then Millsap and the Nuggets started stretching the Lakers out. This lesson doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. But this play in the 3rd quarter definitely does. When Anthony Davis took a tumble and hurt his knee, more than a few gasps were heard at Staples Center.

It is not known if AD hit a wet spot or not (A Nuggets player slipped on the other end!) but it did look like a bad hyperextension of his knee. The Lakers should have shut him down then because the game was over at that point. When the ball was stolen in these highlights, it was plain to see that AD was hurt. Period.

Now for the Pelicans reference. Fill the comment section saying different if you wish, but Davis needed help. His teammates were not there for him against the Nuggets. Only one player on the team scored in double figures besides AD. Sound familiar?

If LeBron James has a Hollywood sequel of groin injuries like last year, the Los Angeles Lakers will have to find scoring from somewhere. Otherwise, AD will get frustrated.

Kyle Kuzma looked active in his return. The Los Angeles Lakers will need a lot more punch off the bench.

The Los Angeles Lakers picked a fine time to put Kyle Kuzma back in the lineup. Here, Kyle, we want you to fill a major void because LeBron is out tonight. Good luck.

For the most part, Kuzma played well considering that he seemingly can’t stay healthy this season. After dealing with an ankle sprain that was so painful he had to drag himself off the floor, he ended up being the only other Laker besides AD to score in double figures.

He finished the night with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. The positive take from all of this was the aggressiveness on both ends of the floor. He added four rebounds (two offensive!) and two blocks to his box score.

Plus, he didn’t stand out on the perimeter and shoot 3-point shots all night. He made aggressive cuts and drove the ball to the basket. He showed flashes of the scorer the Lakers want.

However, Kuz did contribute to the Lakers’ awful assist to turnover ratio turning the ball over two times with only one assist. Finally having a -16 plus/minus ratio for the game is not a good look either.

But Kuzma played better than most of the players on the roster, not to mention harder. Hopefully, Kuzma can build on this for the Christmas game on Wednesday. The Lakers hope so.

The Los Angeles Lakers had better pray LeBron James comes back real soon. Rajon Rondo is not the point guard for a championship run.

There will be talk about LeBron James and his point guard duties for the Los Angeles Lakers. Lake Show Life has a theory. Let’s call him a point forward and call it a day. Like it or not, he’s really all the Lakers have at this point.

Rajon Rondo is not the answer. Let’s all move on. Rondo finished with five points, eight assists and two turnovers in his start.

Some of his antics that seem small now will kill the Lakers in the playoffs, you heard it here first. Rajon Rondo makes plays like these.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1208946717946568705

To cover up his shortcomings like bad fouls, poor defense and the fact that all of the other 29 teams will buy him dinner to shoot from the 3-point line. Rondo shot 2-of-8 from the field (1-of-4 from distance) while the offense sputtered overall all night.

Rondo is not stupid. He knows that LeBron and AD cover up most, if not all of his flaws. A perfect example here.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1208957280781123584

Rondo blows by Jamal Murray for what is supposed to be an easy layup. He smokes it leaving it short. Davis is there for the cleanup. AD was laughing as the Lakers ran back down the court. Rondo only shrugged his shoulders.

Even Lakers announcer Stu Lantz noticed. He stated that these were shots that Rondo used to hit with regularity. Here’s where LeBron is missed. If Rondo is the only playmaker Vogel seemingly trusts, who’s left?

Everyone is waiting for Playoff Rondo. If LeBron is out for an extended period of time, maybe Rajon can try executing in the regular season.

LeBron James may be hurt, but is it like last year?

Here’s why Lakers fans should be a little bit concerned. Remember last year when LeBron pulled his groin? The Lakers beat the daylights out of then NBA champs, the Golden State Warriors and LeBron was supposed to be out two weeks, a month at the most?

It turned into 17 games. Hold up. It was really sixteen games, he pulled out of the next game against the Warriors later on in the season.

The most intriguing issue is just like Brian Windhorst, nobody knows how bad the injury is. Furthermore, no matter how many reports are heard, no one will ever find out. It will be a closely guarded secret. Just like last year.

Get used to hearing about James’ “nagging groin issue,” because whether it’s a tear or a strain, the Lakers or LeBron’s camp is not telling. Did they last year? Exactly.

Are the Lakers better off than last year?

The Lakers are 24-6 and sit three games ahead of the Clippers going into Wednesday’s showdown. Last year around this time, the Lakers were a drama-filled mess that the 24-17 record covered up. Plus, the Lakers have Anthony Davis.

This is why the Los Angeles Lakers should be applauded for mowing down the competition and beating the teams they were supposed to beat. The great start, coupled with Davis should allow the Lakers time to tread water if James has to sit out longer than planned like last season.

The Lakers take on the LA Clippers at home on Christmas Day. It will be very interesting to see if LeBron plays or not.  While this game did show how bad this team needs LeBron, if he is hurt, now is not the time to start proving points about load management.

There are bigger things at stake this year. If this process gets messed up and LeBron James really gets hurt. Well here are some highlights to reminisce when he was healthy.

Understand? Hopefully, the Lakers brass, coaching staff and most importantly LeBron does.